My husband and I are replacing 30 DH windows and a sliding door. So far the best quotes we have are for:

1. a little over $500 per window for Simonton 5500 triple pane
2. $18K for Soft Lite Barringon (includes super spacer on all and Solar Low E on some of the windows) and additional $2.8K for Imperial (not sure which of them!)
3. $26K Marvin Integrity (with wood clad, full tear our)

I can’t say I am very excited about any of the vynal products we have seen so far, but the price being a factor this seems to be where we are headed for. Shall we look into Simonton 9800? Is Soft-Lite Imperial worth $2.8K more than Barrington? Finally, how do these products compare to OKNA 500, a window that was mentioned to us but have not seen yet?

The Okna 500 is a nice slimline window with great ratings.
You should also look at the Okna/HiMark 800. It's a pretty window that has some wood window attributes like real metal handles.
Here is a pic below of an 800 sample so you can see what it looks like. The sample is in a natural finish but is also available in white and a couple more wood-grain colors. This sample has brushed nickel hardware but it is available in antique brass, adobe grey and white too. Wider windows will have 2 handles top and bottom.

+1 on Dave's response. If you're not all that crazy about what you have seen from Simonton or Soft-Lite so far, the OKNA 800dx might be your best shot? I plan on putting the exact same window that Dave posted in my very own house later this year and I can get anything out there.

Dave, thats a great pic which really shows how the Okna separates itself from the pack..
the Okna website has the 800 series listed as " EnviroStar" but everyone calls it the 800 series. its a heck of a window and is my numeber one seller. my customers really seem to embrace it especially after the installation.
The okna 800 is also one of the most energy efficient windows available.. although the simonton 5500 is a pretty solid mid grade window, the okna will beat it in every category, especially energy efficiency/ Ufactor and air leakage.

Apart from the look what is the difference between OKNA 400 and 800ds? What price should we expect (we live in Northern VA)?

I am afraid that every time the price of the project goes over 20K we will be tempted again to look at wood windows. Someone just called and offered to give us a price on Pella Architect Series than beats the quote we have for Marvin Integrity without the need to rip all windows.

I will appreciate if someone can enlighten us on Soft-Lite Imperial vrs. Barrington? We surrendered to the sale person pressure yesterday and signed acontract for Softlite EnVison which I believe is the same as Barrington. We have until Wednesday to cancel the contract! I am definitely going to check on OKNA by Wednesday.

you may be pleastantly surprised by the pricing.. you mentioned you reside in Virginia.. there is actually a pro who frequents this board ..his board name is "windows on washington"; he is not only one of the nicest guys i ever had the pleasure of meeting but a true professional. i would do a board search of his name and click his contact button. i rarely recommend contractors but he is the exception to that rule.. i think you will be very happy with him.

I agree that WOW would be your best choice.
He has a stable full of great product including Marvin and HiMark (Okna).
Eric and the team at WOW will do a superior job in helping oyu understand and select the right window for you and install it to the best industry standards.

The Simonton's would be the best bet at those prices. That is about how much more the Imperial would cost, but the real question to me is the Barrington and Imperial worth 3 and 6 grand over the Simonton with triple-pane? It would not be fair to compare the Marvin to these since it is a full tear-out and no specific details listed. The vinyl windows you have looked at are nice looking windows, my guess is you will not be happy with vinyl.

+1 on speaking to WoW. Great guy, and I agree that the HiMark window is a bit better looking (and performing) than the Simonton. It is a really nice looking piece. If it still does not pass muster for you, then you probably would need to check out some other options like Marvin Ultimate (does not need a full tear-out), or Inline fiberglass.
The Imperial LS and HiMark/Okna products are in the top tier of vinyl products, the other choices are a little bit above average IMO.